Anthony leads Nuggets to 110-88 win over Jazz

DENVER (AP) -- Antsy and anxious, Nuggets coach George Karl
returned to the bench after battling cancer.

His team turned it into a stress-free evening.

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Arron Afflalo added 22 and the
Nuggets opened the season with a 110-88 win over the Utah Jazz
on Wednesday night.

Karl missed the final two months of last season after being
diagnosed with throat and neck cancer. In his absence, the
Nuggets stumbled and were eliminated by Utah in the first round
of the playoffs.

Did his presence ignite his team?

"I hope Utah fired them up a little bit more than me," Karl
said.

Now that he's back, Karl's next assignment is coaxing Anthony to
stick around.

"Try to convince Melo the place he wants to be is really Denver.
He just doesn't know it yet," Karl said.

Anthony has been mentioned in trade speculation since he brushed
off a three-year, $65 million extension with the Nuggets in
June. He was in his white jersey with powder blue and gold trim
Wednesday, but this possibly could be his final opener with the
team.

Unless Karl can persuade him.

"Come on, George. Let me play," Anthony said when told of Karl's
comments. "I'm here. Tonight, I was excited about this game. I
can't control what happens out there. Whatever happens, is going
to happen.

Like Karl, Anthony received a warm reception for the crowd,
something he appreciated.

There was hardly any drama in this contest. The Nuggets led by
as many as 27 points in the third quarter and easily cruised
home from there.

Then again, the Nuggets had a chip on their shoulder.

"We've been looking forward to this game for a while," said
Chauncey Billups, who needed stitches after biting his lip early
in the game. "We've got guys playing really well right now."

Deron Williams had 17 points for Utah, Paul Millsap added 15 and
Al Jefferson, acquired in a trade with Minnesota over the
summer, finished with six. Jefferson said before the game that
Utah's pick-and-roll system fits him "perfect" and that he hopes
to thrive like Carlos Boozer and Karl Malone once did.

The Nuggets made sure Jefferson didn't go off in Boozer or
Malone fashion, frequently putting two bodies on him.

"Made it more difficult for him to get what he wanted," Utah
coach Jerry Sloan said.

Sloan wasn't particularly pleased with his team's energy level,
especially for this being the opener. The Jazz return home
Thursday to play Phoenix.

"Our cuts to the basket looked like we were dead tired," Sloan
said. "Let's give credit to Denver, but the season's not over."

Andrei Kirilenko, who was held to two points, has had his name
surface in rumors as part of a deal that would land him in
Denver and Anthony with the New Jersey Nets. Kirilenko is
scheduled to make almost $18 million this season in the final
year of his contract, making him an obvious trade candidate.

But Kirilenko shrugged off the speculation at the morning
shootaround, saying he's been potentially traded "so many times,
but I still wear a Jazz uniform. I'm still here."

In fact, he's been with the Jazz longer than any other player on
the roster.

"My friends come to me and say, 'Andrei, you're going to
Denver,"' Kirilenko recounted. "I was like, 'Yeah, we have our
first game in Denver, that's right.' They're like, 'No, we heard
the rumors.' I said, 'That's right, you heard RUMORS.' If
something happens, I would know first and prepare my stuff, pack
it and go."

The Nuggets remain banged-up in the front court with Kenyon
Martin and Chris "Birdman" Andersen recovering from offseason
knee surgeries that are expected to keep them sidelined for a
while.

For Karl, the play of Williams and Al Harrington only bolsters
his belief that he has something special brewing in Denver. He
told them as much before the game.

"It's an honor and a privilege to try to be a special team in
this league," Karl said. "To coach one is my privilege. to play
on one is your privilege.

"We showed a lot of good stuff."

Notes: Former Nuggets C Dikembe Mutombo was in town to support
friend and newly hired GM Masai Ujiri. ... Anthony drew a
technical for arguing a call in the first quarter. ... Gordon
Hayward, who led Butler to the NCAA finals last season, made his
pro debut in the first quarter. He finished with nine points in
nearly 21 minutes.